SHCHELKOVO /Moscow Region/, December 11. /TASS/. Russia's main New Year’s tree, called a "yolka" in Russian, was cut down on Monday in a forest near the village of Novopareevo, Shchelkovo Municipal District, in northeastern Moscow Region, and will be delivered to the Moscow Kremlin on Wednesday evening, December 13, where it will be decorated and put on display, TASS reports.
The 84-year-old fir tree was specially selected by a committee from among several dozen trees for its proper height and correct pyramid-like shape of the crown, as well as the uniform saturated color of the pine needles and easy access. Within the next two days, the 25-meter tree will be packed and placed on a truckbed to be transported to Russia’s capital city.
According to Anatoly Kochanov, an official of the Presidential Administration’s Property Management Office, the selection of this year’s main New Year's tree marks the 24th time such a specially designated tree has been felled and transported to Cathedral Square within the Moscow Kremlin as part of the New Year’s holiday celebrations, which extend from New Year’s Eve on December 31 through Orthodox Christmas on January 7. "I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in this event. I would like to wish everyone here good luck in the coming year and all the best. Happy New Year!" he added.
According to him, the New Year’s tree will be fully decorated by December 22. "Welcome to Cathedral Square, where we will have a beautiful New Year’s tree [on display]," he emphasized.
In turn, Shchelkovo Municipal District head Andrey Bulgakov said that this year's holiday tree was selected with the use of satellite images. "The Shchelkovo Municipal District holds the record as the source of holiday trees selected as the official Kremlin New Year’s tree," he said, explaining that the district had previously supplied fir trees for the Kremlin in 2018 and 2021. "We are very honored that this has become such a good tradition. We prepared for today’s event. We have a 25-meter fir; it is very beautiful, really cool," Bulgakov told journalists.
On the evening of December 13, the Christmas tree will be brought to the Kremlin, where it will be hoisted into its display stand on Cathedral Square and will stand for the duration of Russia’s New Year's holidays.